Dhaka: Pakistan’s federal cabinet has approved the country’s new airline Fly Jinnah’s application to operate schedule flights to international destinations including Bangladesh, after the carrier secured the support of Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and the Prime Minister's office.

Earlier, in August 2023, the low-cost carrier, owned and operated jointly by Lakson Group of Pakistan and Air Arabia Group of the United Arab Emirates, applied for the rights to operate flights to Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Türkiye and the UAE.

Except for Azerbaijan, existing air service agreements between Pakistan and each country mentioned above allow for multiple operators on the relevant route.

Currently, there is no scheduled passenger operator flying between Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Till date, the low-cost carrier Fly Jinnah operates three leased A320-200s to five cities in Pakistan. The carrier only secured its operating permit in 2021 and started flying in late 2022.

Pakistani aviation regulations require local airlines to satisfactorily operate on domestic routes for at least a year before they can secure permission to fly internationally.